Cornell Depression Scale

Depression or the state or having mood disorder is highly increasing due to the problematic and complex world that we have right now. Some people with weak self esteem or rigid personality find difficulty on making adjustments and blending out to the world. Depression is a form of disease that also needs diagnosis because its level and effects to a particular subject vary. In the medical world, several psychogeriatric depression rating scales are being made as basis to asses the extent of depression. Some of these are the GDS that stands for Geriatric Depression Scale and the Cornell Depression Scale or CSDD.

Before the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Cornell Depression Scale are confirmed reliable they first undergo a testing or what we formally called validation study. Through this, the theories within these two depression scales will be tested on actual subjects. The validation study involves one hundred forty five depressed patients above sixty five years of age are tested through interview. Out of the interview conducted, doctors deduced that seventy three of the subjects are depressed only and thirty three are depressed and demented.

Analyzing and summarizing all the facts gathered, the Geriatric Depression Scale had a perfect correlation but Cornell Depression Scale or CSDD has a better scale with sensitivity and specificity of ninety three percent and ninety seven percent. On the end it was held that Cornell scale for depression and dementia is the valid and specific screening tool to access depression in a demented population. With the help of the CSDD, doctors and psychiatrist today find it easy to access patients undergoing severe depression or depression and dementia. The scale aids easy understanding of the patient's state or condition thus giving psychologist doctors clue on the needed treatment and therapy of the patient.

This rating scale on depression is very significant because it discovered the true state of the depression patient, and every state needs special and different degree of attention and treatment. Obviously, the patients undergoing lower or average depression needs lower attention and medication compared to the once under serious stage of dementia. Aside from the Cornell Depression Scale or CSDD, some other screening tools and depression therapies are being studied because of the growing problem on depression. We want to get the best therapy that that could cure and uplift the person's original personality and immediately minimize the cases of mood disorders and make every person flexible and adjustable to the varying situation in our world.